This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 04014059.2 filed Jun. 16, 2004, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a hinging device for pivotably attaching at least two links of a bracelet, one after the other, this device including a bar passing into bores arranged in the links, said bar comprising at at least one of its ends a hole provided with an inner thread, this device further comprising a screw having a thread engaged in said inner thread and a head arranged for limiting the axial clearance of said bar.
Such a device is known from numerous technical descriptions. A bar is often used which is held in the bores through which it passes by holding means implementing screws whose thread is engaged in an inner thread made in the bar. Generally the screw head has an overhang that abuts against a shoulder of the bore in the link.
One problem that incessantly recurs is holding the bar in place to prevent it from escaping following the incessant movements of the links. One solution has been proposed to this problem. It concerns the hinging device disclosed in CH Patent No. 661185. In this document, the bracelet is formed of a series of links hinged around pivoting bars passing into holes arranged in the links. Each bar ends at one end in a split head and comprises at the other end a hole provided with an inner thread followed by a neck that reduces the section of the hole at that point. A screw provided with a head and a screw thread followed by a groove can be introduced into the hole of the bar then screwed in by force until the neck penetrates the groove of the screw. In this position, the screw is locked owing to the radial elasticity of the bar while being able to be removed from the hole if necessary.
While the solution that has just been described solves the problem of preventing the screw from coming unscrewed following movement of the links, it has several drawbacks. First of all, a problem lies in the fact that the bar, via its split head, occupies a well defined axial position with respect to the links. When the screw is screwed into the hole of the bar, and the groove is in the neck, the links may, because of the play of manufacturing tolerances, be squeezed against each other, which reduces the hinging freedom of said links in relation to each other. If, however, one manages to prevent any squeezing regardless of the tolerances present, the screw heads are liable to overhang the sides of the bracelet, which is unattractive looking and liable to catch against things. Another drawback of the proposed solution lies in the fact that in order to place the screw groove into the neck of the bar, or to remove it therefrom, a significant axial effort is required which will be borne entirely by the screw thread and the inner thread of the bar and which is liable to damage said threads. Finally, it should be mentioned that any screw tightened into its housing, via the axial effort that it instigates, is liable to damage either its thread or the inner thread in which it lodges, when the screw is of very small dimensions, of the order of a millimetre.
In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, the present invention, in addition to answering the generic definition set out in the first paragraph of this description, is characterized in that the bar and the screw are provided with means allowing an end portion of the bar to rest radially on a portion of the screw head to ensure that said screw is tightened in said bar.
The features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description, made with reference to the annexed drawing and giving, by way of explanatory but non-limiting example, an advantageous embodiment of the bracelet hinging device. In the drawing:
As can be seen in
As is apparent in
The means implemented to make an advantageous embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail.
As can be seen in the Figures and more particularly in
In this invention and depending upon the type of material used to make the bar, there is a risk of skirt 15 being permanently deformed, because of its spreading apart while the screw is being tightened. This can make the bar unable to be reused if the bracelet has to be dismantled, for example for cleaning or to adjust the length. In order to avoid this, at least one longitudinal slot 20 can be made in skirt 15 which encourages an elastic deformation of the latter.
A bracelet with hinged links fitted with a reliable hinging device able to be assembled and dismantled a large number of times, without damaging either the screws or the bars receiving the screws has thus been provided.
The illustrations also show that bar 5 is a solid rod whose first end 8 is machined to receive screw 11 and whose second end 21 has a head 22 integral with the solid rod. This head 22 is arranged to limit the axial clearance of bar 5. In order to do this,
It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the foregoing description. For example, bar 5 could include a screw 11 at each of its ends. Likewise, bar 5 could not be solid and have the shape of a tube machined at each of its ends to receive a screw.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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04014059 | Jun 2004 | EP | regional |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2780830 | Kammerer, Jr. | Feb 1957 | A |
6564540 | Greguitch | May 2003 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
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661 185 | Jul 1987 | CH |
0 229 908 | Jul 1987 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050279134 A1 | Dec 2005 | US |